Police: Boulder man kills raccoon with nail-studded board as 'revenge' for cat's death

Richard Moller, 50, facing 2 counts of felony animal cruelty

By Mitchell Byars, Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
08/27/2013 09:29:13 AM MDT

Richard Moller (Boulder County Sheriff's Office)

A Boulder man was arrested Monday night after police say he beat two raccoons -- at least one of them fatally -- in a Dumpster with a nail-studded board as "revenge" for raccoons killing his cat years ago.

According to an arrest affidavit, Boulder police were called at 6:45 p.m. Monday to 5610 Arapahoe Ave. after a witness saw a man -- later identified as Richard Moller, 50 -- jump into a Dumpster and begin beating two raccoons with a piece of wood that had nails sticking out of it.

The witness said he could hear the raccoons "screaming and moaning" and said it appeared Moller was intentionally pushing the nails into the animals.

The witness yelled at Moller, at which point he told the witness, "All raccoons must die," then jumped out of the trash bin and left the scene, according to court records.

When police found and questioned him, Moller told officers that he had watched raccoons kill his cat a few years ago, that he had a "glitch" of anger and, "It was my opportunity to kill the raccoons," according to the affidavit.

Moller told police he was not using the side of the board with nails in it and was only trying to hit them with "blunt force trauma."

Police found a raccoon body in the Dumpster along with another injured raccoon that ran off before officers could catch it. A 3-foot-long board with nails sticking out of it also was found in the trash bin.

Moller is facing two counts of felony animal cruelty.

As of Tuesday evening, he remained at the Boulder County Jail on $100 bond.

He is next scheduled to appear in court at 2 p.m. Thursday in the jail's courtroom.